Roman Catholic Diocese of Ragusa, Sicily

For the diocese with the Latin name Ragusa (Dioecesis Ragusina), see Roman Catholic Diocese of Dubrovnik.

Diocese of Ragusa Dioecesis Ragusiensis
Ragusa Cathedral
Location
Country	Italy
Ecclesiastical province	Siracusa
Statistics
Area	1,029 km2 (397 sq mi)
Population Total Catholics	(as of 2022) 223,852 216,874 (96.5%)
Parishes	71
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	6 May 1950 (75 years ago)
Cathedral	Saint John the Baptist Cathedral
Secular priests	92 (diocesan) 20 (Religious Orders) 6 Permanent Deacons
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Archbishop	Giuseppe La Placa
Bishops emeritus	Paolo Urso Carmelo Cutitta
Map
Website
www.diocesidiragusa.it

The Diocese of Ragusa (Latin : Dioecesis Ragusiensis) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in south-eastern Sicily. It was erected in 1950. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Siracusa.

History

When created on 6 May 1950, by Pope Pius XII, from territory drawn from the Archdiocese of Siracusa, the parish church of San Giovanni Battista in Ragusa was erected into a cathedral, and provided with a Chapter of canons. ^[1]

On 11 July 1950, a decree of the Sacred Consistorial Congregation removed the territory of the commune of Giarratana, 26 km north of Ragusa, along with its parishes, from the diocese of Noto and attached them to the diocese of Ragusa. ^[2]

The diocese of Ragusa remained tied to that archdiocese of Siracusa aeque personaliter, in the person of Archbishop Ettore Baranzini, who held the title Bishop of Ragusa as well. ^[3] The Diocese of Ragusa became fully independent on 1 October 1955, with the appointment of a bishop of its own, Francesco Pennisi. ^[4]

Bishops of Ragusa

• Ettore Baranzini (6 May 1950 ^[3] – 1 October 1955) ^[4]
• Francesco Pennisi (1 October 1955 ^[4] – 2 February 1974), retired
• Angelo Rizzo (2 February 1974 – 16 February 2002), retired
• Paolo Urso (16 February 2002 – 1 October 2015) ^[5]
• Carmelo Cuttitta ^[a] (1 October 2015 ^[5] – 28 December 2020)
• Giuseppe La Placa (8 May 2021 – present) ^[7]

See also

• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Siracusa
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Noto

Notes

1. Cuttitta was born in Godrano in 1962. He is a Bachelor of theology. From 1990 to 1996 he was the Private Secretary of the Archbishop of Palermo, Cardinal Salvatore Pappalardo, and from 2002 to 2007 a member of the College of Consultors of the diocese of Palermo. On 28 May 2007 he was named Auxiliary Bishop of Palermo. ^[6]

References

1. Acta Apostolicae Sedis vol. 42 (1950), p. 624 § 4.
2. Acta Apostolicae Sedis vol. 42 (1950), p. 828.
3. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. XLII. 1950. pp. 623–5, 828, 871. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
4. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. XLVII. 1955. pp. 851–2, 856. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
5. "Rinunce e nomine, 07.10.2015" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office . Retrieved 16 June 2020.
6. "Biografia". Diocesi di Ragusa (in Italian). Retrieved 16 June 2020.
7. Diocese di Ragusa, "Vescovo: Biografia", (in Italian); retrieved: 16 August 2025.

External links

• Official website (in Italian)
• Gabriel Chow, "Diocese of Ragusa, Italy". GCatholic.^{[ self-published source ]}
• David M. Cheney, Catholic-hierarchy.org, "Diocese of Ragusa ^{[ self-published source ]}

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